BONFIRE COUNTRY

TASTE THE RIVER PARISHES

Our culture and heritage are directly showcased in the foods we crave, cook, and eat LOCAL INGREDIENTS INSPIRE OUR RECIPES.

Food of this region comes from anything we can hunt, catch or grow. Our surrounding swamps and bayous provide us alligators, frogs, freshwater crabs, crawfish, catfish and a wide variety of other animals.

Marshlands provide game birds such as ducks and geese. The brackish waters created when the Gulf of Mexico’s saltwater mixes with our freshwater provide abundant seafood and inspire recipes containing oysters, shrimp, and saltwater crabs. Along the Andouille Trail, traditional makers like Wayne Jacobs Smokehouse hang locally sourced meats and seasonings as they’re carefully smoked to become this unique regional treat.

Fertile soil sustains gardens and farms to yield bountiful harvests of sugarcane, Creole tomatoes, sweet potatoes, okra and eggplant along with other fruits and veggies as found at the German Coast Farmer's Market. Traveling along the river between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the cuisine is influenced by Native American, French Spanish, German, English, African and Italian cultures.

Cajun food is based on French style cooking that evolved from indigenous ingredients sourced from the land. Creole cuisine is considered a sophisticated cousin of Cajun cuisine, utilizing refined European cooking techniques. Cajun/Creole recipes rely heavily on fresh herbs and spices to give its food a unique flair. Dishes typically begin with the “trinity” - onions, celery and bell pepper. From there, recipes build savory richness and a distinctive piquant flavor profile.

Although the two styles are similar, subtle differences can be tasted in some of the sauces that are the essence of signature dishes such as jambalaya, gumbo, ettoufee, and remoulade.

BABA, HUMBLE YET LEGENDARY.

Les Babas de Chouquette or as the locals call it, Baba, is a soft, sweet, yellow cake covered with a thick, rich custard spread with delicious coconut then generously topped with fluffy meringue spread.

St. James Parish came to know the popular dessert in 1957, when Lillian C. Burgeois “Chocquette” introduced the region to a recipe rich in taste and history. According to Choquette, she and her mother had been enslaved by the de la Chapelle family. Today, you can taste Baba at Nobile’s in Lutcher.

SEE A COMPLETE LIST OF THE RESTAURANTS OF LOUISIANA’S RIVER PARISHES AT TASTETHERIVERPARISHES.COM

Options listed here will help you plan your dining experience in the region: • Seafood: Atchafalaya Seafood Company, B&C Seafood, Bec’s at the Lake, Fatty’s,

Frenier Landing, Nobile’s, The Seafood Pot • Cajun/Creole/Po-boys: Belle Terre Country Club, Bonnie’s, The Creole House, Frostop,

Jenny’s Overstuffed Po-boys, Oak Alley Restaurant, Sandwich World, Spuddy’s Cajun

Foods, St. Rose Tavern, Wayne Jacob’s Smokehouse, ZoraChristina, Atchafalaya Seafood Co. • Fine Dining: Ormond Plantation, Petra • Sweet: Café Perique, Chung's, Coffee & Norco, Donut Hole, Todd’s Cream Shack